Setting up a tyre recycling plant in Punjab becomes risky when the promoter selects the land and pays a machinery advance before checking the environmental requirements. A tyre pyrolysis plant is not simply a reactor, condenser and oil-storage project. The site, plant capacity, reactor type, pollution-control system, char handling, fire access and waste-tyre documentation all affect whether the project can move through PPCB and CPCB compliance.
Punjab has formally listed the CPCB SOP for waste-tyre pyrolysis as applicable guidance for TPO units, making approval-first planning particularly important for new projects.
A new tyre pyrolysis project should normally be structured around the following compliance sequence:
The exact project approval matrix can change with site, capacity, additional processes, storage configuration and ancillary facilities, so the complete project should be screened before financial commitment.
Yes, a compliant tyre-pyrolysis project can be considered in Punjab, but the technology and site cannot be selected casually.
On 25 August 2025, Punjab officially listed a notification concerning implementation of the CPCB SOP for recycling waste tyre scrap for recovery of Tyre Pyrolysis Oil, Pyro Gas, Steel and Char in TPO units.
The CPCB SOP dated 16 January 2024 recognizes Advanced Batch Automated Process, or ABAP, and continuous pyrolysis configurations subject to its technical requirements. For new ABAP projects, the SOP says they should be located in industrial areas/industrial land.
This makes land verification one of the first project decisions—not something to be checked after the machinery is purchased.
The following requirements come directly from the final CPCB TPO SOP and should be incorporated into feasibility and layout planning.
| Project parameter | CPCB requirement for new units |
| ABAP individual reactor capacity | 10–20 tonnes |
| Maximum cumulative batch capacity within one premises | Up to 60 TPD |
| Capacity beyond 60 TPD | Continuous-process TPO unit |
| New ABAP, one 10–12 tonne reactor | Minimum 3,000 m² plot |
| Additional 10–12 tonne reactors | Add 750 m² per reactor, up to the stated 6,000 m² framework |
| New ABAP, one 20-tonne reactor | Minimum 4,000 m² plot |
| Additional 20-tonne reactors | Add 1,000 m² per reactor, up to the stated 6,000 m² framework |
| New continuous TPO unit | Minimum 7,000 m² plot |
| Green belt | At least 5% of total plot area, subject also to applicable consent/government requirements |
| Fire-tender access | Paved and unobstructed access required |
These numbers should be treated as regulatory design inputs, not merely as real-estate suggestions. A plot may appear commercially adequate but still be unsuitable once storage, green belt, internal road, pollution-control systems, fire access, oil tanks and material movement are laid out.
A low-price reactor is not automatically a compliant reactor.
The CPCB SOP requires far more than the main pyrolysis vessel. For ABAP systems, the operating arrangement includes controls for fugitive emissions, char handling and nitrogen purging. For continuous systems, the SOP specifies air-lock feeding, sealed operation, emergency gas flaring, closed oil collection/storage and mechanized char removal.
Before paying a machinery vendor, the DPR and equipment specification should verify whether the proposed system can satisfy the applicable CPCB design.
The CPCB SOP requires valid CTE, CTO, Hazardous & Other Waste authorization and a Fire Safety Certificate, along with compliance with the emission and effluent conditions prescribed by the SPCB/PCC.
For flue-gas control, CPCB specifies an alkaline scrubber with mist eliminator and a chimney of at least 30 metres.
The SOP also provides for properly designed emergency flaring of excess pyro gas. For continuous TPO units, the minimum flaring height specified is 30 metres.
Oil coming from condensers should be collected in closed vessels and stored in closed tanks with suitable vents. The SOP states that oil should not be manually handled and should instead be transferred through pumps.
Char handling is equally important. CPCB requires a mechanized arrangement; for continuous units, the SOP describes pneumatic or screw-conveyor handling connected to a bagging system so that the reactor contents are not openly exposed during unloading.
For ABAP plants, suction hoods/dust collection and a bag filter are prescribed around relevant char and steel-removal/transfer operations, along with nitrogen purging before char removal.
The pollution-control system should be treated as part of the core process plant not as equipment that can be added after a PPCB objection.
A vendor quotation should therefore be compared with the CPCB SOP line by line.
| Stage | Main decision or approval | Why it comes here |
| 1 | Business model and feedstock study | Establish viable raw-material and output model |
| 2 | Industrial site screening | Avoid purchasing a non-compliant location |
| 3 | Capacity and ABAP/continuous decision | Determines plot and plant design |
| 4 | DPR + process + layout | Creates the technical basis for applications |
| 5 | PPCB CTE/NOC | Required before setting up the industry |
| 6 | Civil work and machinery installation | Must follow approved configuration |
| 7 | Pollution-control/fire systems | Required for operating readiness |
| 8 | PPCB CTO + HWM authorization + fire compliance | Required before compliant operation under the CPCB SOP |
| 9 | CPCB Waste Tyre recycler registration | Registration requires facility and consent/authorization documentation |
| 10 | Commercial operations and EPR records | Enables traceable recycling and certificate-related reporting |
PPCB currently directs new-industry applicants to obtain its NOC/Consent to Establish through the Invest Punjab route before setting up the industry.
A frequent sequencing mistake is attempting to treat CPCB recycler registration as the first approval. The Waste Tyre portal SOP asks recyclers for facility-level documents including CTO and authorization, along with business and plant information.
The exact PPCB application set should be checked against the current portal and project category. For a well-prepared TPO project file, promoters should typically organize:
For CPCB Waste Tyre recycler registration, the portal SOP requires facility information and supporting documents including CTE/CTO, Hazardous & Other Waste authorization, GST/PAN records, recycling capacity, end-product capacity, geo-tagged facility evidence and declarations.
Waste-tyre EPR operates under Schedule IX inserted through the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Amendment Rules, 2022.
The rules identify environmentally sound recycling routes including reclaimed rubber, crumb rubber, crumb-rubber-modified bitumen, recovered carbon black and pyrolysis oil/char subject to the applicable conditions.
A registered waste-tyre recycler can participate in the EPR certificate system according to the quantities and prescribed data accepted through the CPCB mechanism. CPCB guidance requires recyclers to maintain and upload traceable procurement/import information where legally applicable, recycling data, end-product production and GST-linked sale information for certificate generation and transfer.
For TPO projects, the portal recognizes Pyrolysis Oil and Char as an EPR-certificate category.
This makes accurate mass balance, invoices and sales records part of the business model—not simply an annual compliance exercise.
This is a critical feedstock restriction.
Schedule IX expressly states that import of waste tyre for the purpose of producing pyrolysis oil or char is prohibited.
Therefore, a Punjab TPO feasibility study should not build its raw-material economics around imported waste tyres for pyrolysis.
Domestic sourcing should instead be assessed for quantity, quality, traceability, transport cost, storage requirements and consistency with the Waste Tyre EPR framework.
A common financial-model mistake is treating every tonne of pyrolysis char as saleable “recovered carbon black.”
Schedule IX distinguishes recovered carbon black usable as raw material for manufacture of new tyres from the separate pyrolysis oil or char recycling category.
The DPR should therefore identify what the plant will actually produce, what further upgrading or testing may be necessary, who the lawful buyer will be and how the product will be recorded.
Projected revenue should not assume a premium recovered-carbon-black market unless the proposed output process and specifications support that assumption.
There is no responsible single project-cost figure that can be applied to every TPO project.
Investment depends on the technology, plant capacity, land location, number of reactors, automation level, material handling, storage design, fire protection and pollution-control configuration.
A project budget should separately account for:
| Cost component | What to evaluate |
| Land | Industrial suitability, CPCB minimum area and expansion space |
| Civil works | Shed, roads, drainage, storage, foundations and fire access |
| Main process plant | ABAP or continuous reactor and condensation system |
| APCD | Scrubber, mist eliminator, dust collection, ducting and stack |
| Pyro-gas system | Gas handling, reuse and emergency flare |
| TPO storage | Closed tanks, pumps, bunding/safety provisions as applicable |
| Char handling | Mechanized unloading, conveyor/bagging and dust control |
| Nitrogen/safety systems | Applicable purging, controls, instrumentation and alarms |
| Electrical/utilities | Connected load, backup and ancillary equipment |
| Fire protection | Project-specific firefighting and emergency systems |
| Compliance | DPR, environmental studies, consent applications and testing |
| Working capital | Tyre inventory, utilities, labour, logistics and receivables |
A site-specific DPR should establish actual investment rather than copying cost estimates from another capacity or state.
Before buying land or releasing a machinery advance, a promoter should be able to answer “yes” to the following questions:
Site: Is the proposed location accepted for the type of TPO project contemplated, and does the plot satisfy the applicable CPCB space requirement?
Capacity: Is total batch capacity within the permitted ABAP threshold, or does the project require a continuous process?
Layout: Can the site accommodate tyre storage, process plant, APCD, product storage, char handling, green belt and unobstructed fire-tender movement?
Technology: Can the vendor demonstrate that the quoted equipment reflects the applicable CPCB SOP rather than a conventional non-automated batch design?
Pollution control: Are stack, scrubber, dust control, flare, closed oil transfer and char handling included in the technical scope?
Feedstock: Is there a realistic domestic waste-tyre sourcing network with traceable documentation?
Products: Are lawful and technically realistic buyers identified for TPO, char/processed carbon material and steel?
Compliance budget: Have consent, safety, pollution-control, testing, documentation and working-capital costs been included?
If several answers are still “no,” the project is not ready for machinery procurement.
Before applying for operating-stage approvals or preparing for an inspection, verify that:
These checks reflect the types of facility, equipment and documentary information required under the CPCB TPO and Waste Tyre EPR framework.
A commercially cheap plot can become expensive if it cannot accommodate the CPCB layout and siting conditions.
CPCB’s final SOP standardizes new batch operations around ABAP technology rather than allowing an unrestricted conventional batch configuration.
A plant quotation that excludes the scrubber, stack, dust control, gas flare, closed oil system or char handling may understate the real compliant-project requirement.
PPCB states that a new industry requires NOC/Consent to Establish before setup and provides the application route through Invest Punjab.
They cannot be imported for production of pyrolysis oil or char under Schedule IX.
EPR-linked operations depend on ongoing procurement, recycling, production, invoice and sales records.
Green Permits’ documented plant-setup service covers tyre-waste recycling projects through technical project documentation, consent support, regulatory mapping and ongoing compliance planning. Its broader plant service also includes feasibility, DPR, process flow, layout inputs and CPCB/SPCB support.
For a Punjab TPO project, the engagement can be structured around:
Pre-investment: Site review, process selection, capacity assessment and preliminary compliance map.
Project documentation: DPR, process flow, machinery details, material balance, utility planning and pollution-control documentation.
Approval stage: PPCB CTE support, document preparation, query handling and coordination of project information.
Commissioning stage: CTO/HWM/fire-readiness documentation and inspection preparation.
CPCB stage: Waste Tyre recycler registration readiness and portal-document support.
Post-approval: Compliance calendar, records, return/evidence readiness and amendment review.
It depends on the technology. Under the CPCB final TPO SOP, a new ABAP unit with one 10–12 tonne reactor starts at a minimum 3,000 m²; a new 20-tonne ABAP reactor starts at 4,000 m²; and a new continuous TPO unit requires at least 7,000 m². Additional ABAP reactors trigger additional area requirements.
Not as a new cumulative batch configuration under the CPCB SOP. The final SOP limits cumulative batch capacity within a premises to 60 TPD; beyond that threshold, the new/expanded project must use the continuous-process route described by CPCB.
PPCB states that NOC/Consent to Establish is required before setting up a new industry and provides the Invest Punjab application route.
The CPCB TPO SOP lists a Fire Safety Certificate issued by the concerned department alongside CTE, CTO and hazardous-waste authorization among the operating requirements.
Registered waste-tyre recyclers can participate in CPCB’s EPR-certificate framework. Pyrolysis Oil & Char is one of the recognized waste-tyre certificate categories, subject to the portal’s applicable data, certificate and audit framework.
The amount cannot be responsibly fixed without knowing the site, capacity, ABAP/continuous configuration, machinery specification, pollution-control equipment, storage, utilities and fire systems. A DPR should determine the project-specific capital and operating cost.
A tyre recycling or pyrolysis project in Punjab should begin with site, capacity and technology compliance not machinery purchase.
Punjab has adopted the CPCB framework for TPO units, while the CPCB SOP places specific requirements on industrial siting, ABAP and continuous technologies, plot size, pollution-control equipment, gas handling, char handling and safety. Waste Tyre EPR registration then adds another layer of capacity, documentation and traceability requirements.
A promoter who aligns the DPR, land, layout, machinery and approval sequence before investment is in a much stronger position to build an approval-ready and compliance-ready facility.
Planning a Tyre Recycling or Pyrolysis Plant in Punjab?
Green Permits can assist with site and compliance review, DPR preparation, PPCB approvals, CPCB Waste Tyre recycler registration and end-to-end plant compliance support.
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